City square shut down, fears for Cathedral under Melbourne Metro rail tunnel drilling plans

CITY Square will be shut down and turned into a construction site for at least six years to build the Melbourne Metro rail tunnel, with fears St Paul’s cathedral could collapse with the drilling.

City Square. Picture: Andy Brownbill

CITY Square will be shut down and turned into a construction site for at least six years in order to build the Melbourne Metro rail tunnel.

But St Paul’s Cathedral believes a different launching site for the underground drilling should be considered amid fears the 125-year-old cathedral could collapse.

The Melbourne Anglican Trust Corporation, in a submission to an inquiry into the $10.9 billion project, also raised concerns construction works could “represent a major threat to the practical functioning of the Cathedral”.

“The Cathedral’s fabric and fittings are unusually susceptible to damage from dust and vibration, and noise is particularly intrusive in an environment dedicated to prayer and contemplation,” it said.

Seven weeks of hearings into Melbourne Metro will begin today after the 379 submissions were received from concerned businesses, residents and other organisations.

When construction starts in 2018, City Square will be turned into an open slab for a year as digging begins.

Melbourne Lease. Starbucks and Brunetti, City Square. Picture: Andy Brownbill

Acoustic sheds will then be installed over the site — which will be the key launch pad in the CBD for drilling works — for another three years.

The Melbourne Metro Rail Authority expects another two years of work will follow to fit out the new CBD South station, one of five underground stations built as part of the tunnel project.

Melbourne Metro Rail Authority spokesman Peter De Luca said the Metro Tunnel was Australia’s most important transport infrastructure project.

“It will take our busiest train lines through a new 9km tunnel, freeing up space in the City Loop, and letting us run more trains in and out of the city every day,” he said.

“The best engineering and urban design expertise has helped deliver these plans.

“We look forward to these issues and others being reviewed and assessed during the independent EES Panel Hearings over the next seven weeks,” he said.

Mr De Luca said the Melbourne Metro Rail Authority had developed a range of requirements to guide the construction of the Metro Tunnel, including how potential impacts such as noise and vibration could be minimised and managed.

The Cathedral stands over the planned CBD South train station. Picture: Eugene Hyland

The proposed that CBD South station will have three main entrances.

“Rail tunnel projects are successfully built under major cities around the world, including beneath heritage buildings and close to hospitals, schools and universities,” he said.

St Paul’s said keeping a “quite, peaceful and solemn environment” in the cathedral was important. Its submission also raising concerns about the cathedral’s ageing structure.

“The overall integrity and stability of the building is at significant risk from ground movement and vibration as a result of tunnel construction,” it said.

St Paul’s also criticised the lack of time to respond to the environment effects inquiry as “(verging) on a denial of natural justice”.

The MMRA plans to include strict performance criteria on noise and vibration levels in contracts for the project once the EES process is complete.

Rita Kumar, from the City Square Motel on Swanston St, said her staff were already looking for work elsewhere and that the impending construction was making it hard to hire new people.

“The uncertainty surrounding the future of our business has imposed a lot of stress and strain on our staff,” Ms Kumar wrote in her EES submission.

The City of Melbourne’s EES submission said the closure of City Square would have “a significant social and landscape impact”.

Discussions have taken place about using a car park next to St Paul’s to replace the lost public space during works.

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